The controversial leader of a longtime U.S. ally announced his decision to resign Wednesday morning.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar’s surprise decision comes less than two weeks after voters rejected two constitutional amendments to make the constitution gender-neutral and expand the definition of family. Despite supporting the proposal to remove the “very old-fashioned language,” Varadkar conceded defeat shortly after the vote, admitting that voters had delivered “two wallops” to his ministry. (RELATED: Superstar Athlete Under Criminal Investigation For Social Media Posts)
Varadkar will step down as party leader immediately and resign as taoiseach (prime minister) once his Fine Gael political party chooses his successor.
The BBC reports:
Announcing his resignation, Mr Varadkar described leading his country as “the most fulfilling time of my life”.
He became Ireland’s youngest PM in 2017 when he became Fine Gael leader.
He currently leads the coalition government in Dublin, along with Fianna Fáil and the Green Party.
Speaking from the steps of government buildings in Dublin on Wednesday, Mr Varadkar said he had “led Ireland from unemployment to full employment, from budget deficit to budget surplus, from austerity to prosperity”.
Varadkar expressed his pride at making Ireland “a more equal and more modern place when it comes to the rights of children, the LGBT community, equality for women and their bodily autonomy.”
During his time in office, the predominantly Catholic country adopted constitutional amendments legalizing same-sex marriage and abortion. He acknowledged “areas where we have been much less successful, adding: “I hope you’ll forgive me if I leave it to others to point them out on a day like this.” (RELATED: ‘Race Riots’ Break Out In This Country After Tragedy)
His reasons for stepping down were “both personal and political.”
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